Commissioner Fain releases straightforward plan for Washington’s new congressional districts

Focuses on keeping communities together within compact regions

OLYMPIA…Commissioner Joe Fain of the Washington State Redistricting Commission today released his draft plan for revisions to the state’s congressional districts based on results from the 2020 census.

Fain’s plan follows a logical and easily identifiable structure rooted in the idea that the different geographical regions of our state consist of communities with shared interests. It also protects progress made in the 2011 redistricting plan, which created one majority-minority citizen of voting age population (CVAP) district.

“Washington has distinct geographical regions. My plan captures that fact with compact, competitive congressional districts that just make sense. This regional approach keeps most cities, counties and school districts together and more than three-quarters of residents in their existing districts.”

“My plan doubles the number of competitive districts in our state. There are some out there right now entrenched in special interests trying to convince the public that competition in elections doesn’t matter. This isn’t just undemocratic; it violates Washington state law regarding redistricting, which explicitly requires us to draw districts that will ‘encourage electoral competition.’ I look forward to negotiating the final plans with my fellow commissioners and I will work hard to incorporate the values and priorities they bring to this process. I will not, however, accept a final map that fails to protect a voter’s right to choose.”

The districts are as follows:

• 1^st: North Metro/Tech Corridor
• 2^nd: North Puget Sound
• 3^rd: Southwest Washington
• 4^th: Central Washington
• 5^th: Eastern Washington
• 6^th: Olympic Peninsula
• 7^th: Seattle
• 8^th: Cascades
• 9^th: Suburban King County
• 10^th: South Puget Sound